Key West, IA – Fifty to sixty firefighters were at the scene of a fire in Key West. What is to be believed started as a grass fire spread and engulfed in flames a home at 5170 St. Joe’s Prairie.

Dispatchers were called to the scene at 5:15 PM this evening.

Neighbors say only one individual is currently living at the residence and was assisting his son with crops at the time the fire broke out. A nearby neighbor reported the fire.

Key West Fire Chief, Brian Arnold, says that there was one injury to a firefighter on the scene whose current conditions is listed as fair.

Find out more and hear from Fire Chief Arnold on From the Boulevard this Wednesday at 7pm.

Felicia Carner can be reached at felicia.carner@loras.edu

DUBUQUE – Loras College Junior Regina Weber has a common complaint.

She claims, “There’s not much you can do after any kind of practices or engagements of some sort. If you’re under twenty-one you can’t go to a bar and relax. What can you do?”

She’s not the only student at Loras who feels the Dubuque Community lacks in its opportunities.

Sophomore Daniel Dobson states, “It’s hard to find a place to go and just hang out.”

However, there are some students that feel differently.

“Open your eyes and just venture out. I’m sure you’re bound to find something, Dubuque’s endless,” is the advice Loras Junior and Chamber intern, Meghan Willis gives to those unaware of the opportunities in Dubuque.

Wallis is a life-long Dubuque resident and says she is not disappointed in what Dubuque has to offer, even for minors.

Wallis says that there are some students that say “we don’t experience the college life because we’re not twenty-one and we can’t go out have a couple of drinks, and that’s not true.

And although the law says those under 21 have to be out of an establishment by 9:00pm if 35% of the sales stem from alcohol,

Wallis says the fun doesn’t have to stop then, especially with the recent expansion of the Diamond Jo.

“We have a great new casino and a great new bowling alley upstairs called Cherry Lanes.”

Wallis also mentions the numerous festivals that take place in downtown Dubuque or if you’re looking for a place sit down, socialize, and do some homework there are a variety of coffee shops located downtown.

And with the recent addition of free wireless internet access for all of the downtown, Wallis says you are able to do your work in the park.

So it seems there are things to do in Dubuque even if you’re 21.

Trick is, knowing where to look.

For upcoming events and attractions you can check out Dubuque 365’s website.

Felicia Carner can be reached at Felicia.Carner@loras.edu

DUBUQUE – Loras Junior Carolyn Zens interned last semester in Chicago and she’s doing it again in Dubuque as the Special Events intern for the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.

There’s a catch to all her hard work, Carolyn says she does not get paid.

“It’s more about gaining the hands on experience. I don’t look at it as getting money after doing so many hours I look at it as having a press release that I have actually worked on,” said Zens.

These skills are important for one to gain for their future careers but with the falling economy the question asked is are internships getting harder to find?

Academic Intern Coordinator, Faye Finnegan claims she doesn’t believe there is necessarily a decline in internships, but there may be a decline in paid internships.

Obtaining the work experience of an internship, whether it’s full-time, part-time, paid, or not, is vital for building a strong resume for any student, especially in these hard economic times.

“How are you as a student going to set yourself apart?” said Finnegan.

This is the question that Finnegan has students, like Zens, thinking about when considering an internship. Finnegan says internships are what prepare students at a professional level.

“It becomes more real for them as well as makes them more marketable when they look for positions following graduation,” said Finnegan.
These are the reasons Zens continues to intern.

“The most important thing to do is to put it on my resume and have the professional experience when I go to find a job,” explained Zens.

To find out more information about internships visit the Center for Experimental Learning on Loras’ campus.

Felicia Carner can be reached at Felicia.Carner@loras.edu

A struggling economy and dropping temperatures are chilling reminders to homeowner’s like Chris Houston that heating costs are on their way up.

“Money wise this year we’re in a lot worse shape than we’ve ever been before and the more we save the better,” said Houston.

Last Saturday, over 350 local volunteers joined the 2008 Dubuque Weatherization Challenge. Together they reached out to 106 homes of Dubuque’s elderly and low-income families to help them prepare for winter.

Houston was one of the homeowner’s who benefited from the 2nd annual weatherization challenge.

“It’s great, I wasn’t expecting it,” said Houston.

Volunteer and team leader, Tim Bees says, “This seemed to be a very easy way to get folks involved and it’s a good thing that folks get their homes weatherized and a little tighter for the winter so they don’t spend as much on their heat bills as necessary.

The group offered a few easy tips to weatherize your home:

• Make sure your windows fit tight, if they don’t use caulk to fill gaps or apply weather stripping.

• Adding a door sweep to the bottom of the door can help eliminate drafts.

• Purchase a programmable thermostat and watch your temperature closely. This can save you a lot of money in the

end.

Felicia Carner can be reached at Feleicia.Carner@loras.edu

DUBUQUE – Normally it is frowned upon to share bugs with your neighbors. A few weeks ago thirty-two tanker loads of friendly “bugs” from Dubuque were sent to Cedar Rapids.

Jonathan Brown runs the waste water control pollution plant. He says that these microscopic bugs are really just bacteria and they are being used to help restart the Cedar Rapids Sludge Plant after the June floods. To the average eye you might mistake them for an everyday drink.

“It kind of looks like chocolate milk,” says Brown.

The bugs eat the pollution in the water and leave behind separated liquid biomass and cleaner water. Dubuque has sent the biomass to Cedar Rapids.

“I’ve got a call from the plant manager in Cedar Rapids he said they were the best bugs he’s ever seen and they went right to work,”says Brown.

Felicia Carner can be contacted at Felicia.Carner@loras.edu